3 on Escondido council want to use city’s reserves

ESCONDIDO BUDGET CUTS

What: The city faces a $10.5 million deficit on a $72.9 million general fund budget this fiscal year, which ends in June, and the City Council is debating what to cut. One of the scenarios included closing the East Valley Community Center, the East Valley Branch Library, the city’s two swimming pools and the California Center for the Arts. At a council meeting this week, arts supporters pleaded for the center to stay open, and residents urged the council to keep the library and recreation programs alive.

Council consensus: The council majority agreed to try to save the arts center, the library and recreation programs by using reserves. Councilman Sam Abed wanted to minimize cuts to code enforcement by using money from other programs.

Next step: The council’s budget subcommittee will discuss scenarios for cuts again Tuesday The full council is expected to vote on its recommendations March 3.

ESCONDIDO  In the midst of drastic budget cuts that threaten to close a library, a community center, swimming pools and the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, three City Council members said this week they want to use reserves to maintain the services.

The city also received some budget help from a business owner, who said he will fill potholes for free.

Escondido is facing a $10.5 million gap in the city’s $72.9 million general fund budget.

Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler, Councilman Dick Daniels and Councilwoman Olga Diaz agreed in a council meeting this week to use reserves to maintain the East Valley Community Center, East Valley Branch Library, recreation programs and the arts center.

Their proposal placated some residents and arts supporters, who packed the council chambers to plead with the council, but frustrated Councilman Sam Abed, who has insisted that the city should live within its means.

“It’s an underrecognized treasure that should not be undervalued,” arts center supporter Mel Takahara said.

His sentiments were echoed by Harvey Mitchell, president of the Escondido Chamber of Commerce and the chairman of performing arts at Palomar College.

Members of the Escondido Public Library board of trustees and Friends of the Library appealed for their cause, as well.

Abed chided his colleagues for wanting to spend more reserves.

“You don’t want to cut anything,” he said. “You will end up using (all reserves). Who wants to cut? But we need fiscal discipline.” Daniels bristled.

“So, fine. We all have our favorites. We’ll move some money around,” he said.

In the end, the council instructed city finance officials to study the scenario of saving the arts center, recreation and the library and report to the council’s budget subcommittee on Tuesday when it holds one of its ongoing meetings. The full council is expected to vote on budget cuts March 3.

Most council members also agreed to continue funding the Fourth of July and Christmas parades.

It appears the city will receive some assistance on street maintenance. Resident George Weir, who owns George Weir Asphalt Construction in Escondido, told the council he will pave potholes for free beginning next week.

Weir, 55, said he will fill potholes one day each week, completing 30 to 50 each time at a cost to him of $1,500 to $2,000 for the day.

“My commitment to the city is indefinite,” he said. “I hope my competitors will say, ‘George does this. I can do this, I can do that.’ ”

The city has been wrestling with its budget for several years because of a steep decline in sales and property tax revenue. At the end of January, the city manager told the council that the deficit has grown from an anticipated $3.2 million to $10.5 million, and proposed a scenario that entailed closing the branch library, the community center, two swimming pools, three parks and the arts center.

Abed supported keeping the arts center open but wanted to shift recreation funding to code enforcement, which might face a $685,000 cut. He argued that a city covered with graffiti and littered with abandoned cars and trash will not attract economic development.

He and Diaz also proposed outsourcing the library to the county. Pfeiler and Diaz suggested asking residents if they wanted to pay more taxes so they can receive uninterrupted service.